CVE-2022-32948
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6, macOS Monterey 12.5. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThis is a kernel-level out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. The flaw allowed a malicious application to read memory outside allocated bounds, potentially enabling privilege escalation to execute arbitrary code with kernel (highest) privileges. The vulnerability was patched with improved bounds checking in iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, and macOS Monterey 12.5.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 15.6< 15.6>= 12.0.0, < 12.5CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify your operating systemDetermine if the device is running iOS, iPadOS, or macOS. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On macOS, click Apple menu > About This Mac.Affected if Device runs iOS, iPadOS, or macOS Monterey
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Check iOS versionOn iPhone, go to Settings > General > About > Version to view the installed iOS version.Affected if iOS version is less than 15.6
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Check iPadOS versionOn iPad, go to Settings > General > About > Version to view the installed iPadOS version.Affected if iPadOS version is less than 15.6
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Check macOS versionOn Mac, click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version, or run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal.Affected if macOS version is 12.0.0 or higher but lower than 12.5
You are affected if the device runs iOS or iPadOS versions below 15.6, or macOS Monterey versions 12.0.0 through 12.4.x.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped12.515.6
Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: update affected devices to iOS 15.6+/iPadOS 15.6+ or macOS Monterey 12.5+ to remediate this kernel privilege escalation vulnerability.
iOS 15.6 / iPadOS 15.6 / macOS Monterey 12.5
- Check current device iOS/iPadOS version by going to Settings > General > About on iPhone or iPad
- Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- For iPhone/iPad: Back up device data using iCloud or Finder/iTunes before updating
- For iPhone/iPad: Install iOS 15.6 or iPadOS 15.6 by going to Settings > General > Software Update
- For Mac: Install macOS Monterey 12.5 by going to System Preferences > Software Update
- Verify the update was successful by checking the version number in Settings/About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32948 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-32948 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data